To leave the NHS and join agency

[4men1lady]

I'm looking for reassurance/good stories of staff leaving the NHS and joining agency.

I've worked for the NHS for 4 years now, as a nurse. I absolutely love my job and love the ward and people I work with.

The dilemma I feel I'm in is that it doesn't fit around Family life. The work life balance we have at the moment is quite depressing. I work 3 days a week which in itself is great but at least one of those days I work weekends and dh works Monday to Friday so some weeks we have only 1 day as a family, some days none if I work both days at the weekend.

I want to go back to uni at some point and do a module which is ward relevant but the trust won't fund further education, so I'd be self funding.

I've had a long hard think about it and feel it is better to leave and join agency which would mean working less hours for either same or a little bit more pay.

Aibu to have some loyalty towards the NHS and be worried about leaving. I know I could always return if it doesn't work.

For the first 3 months I wouldn't be able to work within the trust I've just left which would mean traveling a little further away and working within a hospital I've never worked in, but after 3 months I could return back to my trust and even work on the ward I left.

Help me think of things I've probably not considered. I've thought about holiday,sick and maternity leave.

Do you need a guaranteed regular salary for mortgage purposes?

Pension?

I did this and have never looked back.

Constant weekends, awkward shifts, begging for specific days off (and half the time not knowing if it's been granted in time to actually book anything!), the agonising wait to see if your annual leave request has been approved, missing out on Christmas ... no thanks!

I now work bank/agency as and when I want. The best bit about it is knowing I can book a holiday a year in advance and not have to worry about annual leave authorisation! Oh and if someone says "do you fancy doing so and so next month?" I can say "yes!" Without having to check my rota or beg people to swap shifts with me.

That sounds wonderful. I am thinking of doing this also

Pension........ Sick pay..........

Can you join your staff bank instead as you get to stay in the pension scheme?

That is what my colleagues are all doing, as they want more flexibility .

For me this wouldn't be a long term plan as I'd do up until the children are in school, 3/4 years roughly then I would want to rejoin the NHS in a Monday-Friday role.

Things just aren't working at the moment in terms of work family balance.

Everyone I've spoken to hasn't looked back and say it was the best thing they ever did. But I just have a niggle about completely leaving the NHS.

I am already on the bank so I suppose I could do both.